The Stars That Guide Us: A New Adventure - A TSTGU Novella

【Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ７】

We set off that morning and I sat in the back of the carriage with Polnareff to check him over for any wounds from the fight with Bat out of Hell.

   "Y/N, I told you that I'm fine," Polnareff groaned.

   "Just take your shirt off so I can check your back and chest for any wounds," I instructed the Frenchman and folded my arms over my chest. "There's no way you were left unscratched after that wing attack. You went flying."

   "Urgh, fine!" Polnareff gave in and turned his back to me. He peeled his shirt off to reveal a scratch going across his back.

   "See, I told you. You've got a scratch right along your back," I gently scolded as I turned to a shelf in the carriage where Jairo said there was a first aid kit should I need it. "Now, let's see... Whereabouts did Jairo say the first aid kit was on here," I mumbled to myself. "Aha! Got it!" I pulled the first kit off from the far end of the shelf and turned back to face Polnareff. I stood behind him and looked over the scratch caused by Bat out of Hell's wing. It didn't look too deep – I'd say at least one or two layers of skin were torn through. "Good news is it doesn't look so bad, so this should heal in a jiffy," I told Polnareff as I started rummaging through the first aid kit for the cleaning alcohol and a bandage. I pulled out the cleaning alcohol and bandages and got to work with cleaning the scratch and bandaging it.

   "Are you hurt at all, Y/N?" Polnareff asked.

   "Thankfully, no. Scar was able to get me out of the way before the bastard could land an attack on me. There, all done," I said as I finished wrapping up the minor wound. "Turn around so I can check your chest," I instructed him.

   Polnareff did as instructed and spun round to face me. I scanned his torso and sides, feeling my cheeks heat up slightly as my eyes lingered across the Frenchman's upper body. Clearing my throat to recompose myself, I looked back up to the Frenchman's blue gaze and said, "Looks like there's only some bruising above your hip, going into your waist which must have been where your landed after that attack. Does it hurt at all?"

   Polnareff shook his head. "Not at the moment. I should be fine though. Thank you, Y/N." The Frenchman flashed a smile at me and slipped his shirt back on.

   I gave Polnareff a brief nod and started to pack the first aid kit away, placing it back on the shelf where I had found it.

   "So, do you have any faith that we'll find Rita in Belgium?" Polnareff asked as I came to sit beside him and bring my knees up to my chest.

   "Judging by what Jairo has told us; Rita left Germany a few days prior to our arrival and is going to be at the carnival that we're heading to, so it's likely that we may be able to catch her," I said.

   "I hope so. I really wanna know if she knows more about the Stand Arrow, and if so; how she knows about it."

   "There's only one way to find out."

As Jairo had predicted, we had arrived in Belgium by late afternoon, and it appeared that the carnival was in full swing.

   Jairo stopped the carriage and we both climbed out whilst he tied the horses up.

   "This carnival looks so much bigger than the one we were at in Germany," Polnareff commented as he looked around, then added, "how are we supposed to find Rita with so much going on?"

   "Normally at the end of each night, Rita is found talking to a bunch of fellas over a drink. I tend to stop by and chat with her every now and then, so if you don't find her whilst the carnival is open, you'll probably find more luck once the carnival starts to clear down. For now, why don't you two go have a look around?" Jairo suggested as he finished tying the horses up and made his way over to us. "Oh, one more thing. Y/N, may I have a quick word?"